


FiddleStan Summer Bonanza

by KillThemWithCandy



Series: Fiddlestan Bonanza Series [2]
Category: Gravity Falls
Genre: Ace Ford, And very very minor violence, Because Stan is a bad role model, But I'm not tagging Mabifica because it's so minor, M/M, Mabel's still with Pacifica, Minor underaged drinking, Sappy Old Men, Soos and Melody are also minorly in the first chapter, There's a mermaid at one point, ace dipper
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-19
Updated: 2016-07-26
Packaged: 2018-07-25 11:39:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 12,824
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7531333
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KillThemWithCandy/pseuds/KillThemWithCandy
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>There's another FiddleStan Bonanza up and I'm jumping straight into it! This is a continuation of the FiddleStan Holiday Bonanza story a good few years later. A certain pair of kids are spending their last summer before going off to college and decide they're going to make it memorable no matter what it takes.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Misunderstandings, Tourist, Drizzle

Mabel and Dipper were eighteen. Their parents had bribed both of them to take a year off of school to some bonding time with them before the pair went off to college.  
And since their parents were bribing them with no rent during their year stay and the tuition for both of their schooling for two years, there was no way in Heaven, Hell, or anything in between that they were saying no.

But before that year off could start, the pair demanded to go back to Gravity Falls for another summer with their great uncles.

Mabel and Dipper ended up taking Mabel's van to Oregon. It got better mileage than Dipper little car and would be better for what they had planned. Sure, it had glitter infused in nearly every inch of the interior and was probably hazardous to drive since sometimes the wiper fluid came out glittery and Dipper was pretty sure he saw a partially melted dinosaur toy inside Mabel's engine last time he looked at it, but they figured anything was safer than driving with Stan at the wheel.

They arrived to Gravity Falls with the same greeting party they always had. Most of the town was invited to the Shack, gifts and stories were passed, Mabel ate too many sweets and threw up.

But what was their favorite part was that the whole time Stan held hands with his long-term boyfriend, Fiddleford McGucket.

A few years back Mabel, Dipper, Ford, and Shermie had all worked on getting the pair to realize that they both had enormous stupid crushes on each other during their Chrismukkah visit. It eventually ended up with them all breaking down and blackmailing Stan into confessing, and then tons of sappy moments of sweetness.

Not long later, Fiddleford was moving into the Shack. He didn't have much, after all, and the pair of them found it nearly impossible to sleep without the other.

Stan had kept his promise and purchased a small corner store in town that he helped Fiddleford run for him to fix, build, and sell computers. The income from the store wasn't steady and it really was just a place for Fiddleford to go and tinker, but it made him incredibly happy and that's all that mattered to Stan.

The kids settled in and got back into the routine of helping out around the Shack and filling in the new journals that Pacifica had gifted to them that same Chrismukkah. Soos was still working there, but Wendy had quit a couple years back for school. Stan had sent in a huge letter of recommendation to the job the girl had applied to closer to her campus and when she got the job, her new boss was even shocked by it. Wendy sent back an enormous thank you letter to Stan and a sweater from her school.  
Melody helped out around the Shack, as well, but that wasn't much since literally every time someone caught her doing something, they stopped her and told her to go rest.

"Guys, I'm pregnant, not crippled!"

"Yes and your focus should be on the baby, not trying to stock the Gift Shop." Ford told her.

"I'm not going let my tourist attraction be the reason for something going wrong for my grandbaby." Stan took Melody by the hand and took her from the Shop, "Come on, you can watch some movies with the kids."

That was another thing. About three years back Stan put his foot down on Soos' reluctance to celebrate his birthday- he no longer feared it, but he still hadn't liked it- and got him a gift that made everything better. He'd grabbed Soos by the wrist, slapped a bunch of papers in his hand, and told him to go get changed because they were going to go celebrate all together as a family.

When Stan stormed out, flustered and nervous, Soos looked at the papers and realized they were adoption forms, the only remaining part needed was Soos' own signature.  
The plans to celebrate were set back a bit when Soos collapsed into Stan's arms sobbing with pure joy.

 

About a month into their summer, Mabel and Dipper started packing things again. They were cleaning up, tidying their still shared room, tucking pillows and blankets and clothes into suitcases, even bringing full ones out to Mabel's can and bringing empty ones out from the depths of the Shack.

It made everyone nervous. After all, no one was sure when the pair planned to leave. They didn't have a set date to return this time around.  
Were they leaving early?

"They'd say somethin', right?" Fiddleford worried, "They aren't just gonna get up and go without sayin' somethin'."

Stan shook his head, "Nah, they'd never. They love us."

"Look, why don't we just ask them?" Ford asked, "Maybe.... Maybe something happened in Piedmont. Maybe...." He put his head in his hands, "I don't know.... I don't know!"

"Calm down, Sixer." Stan reached over and touched his brother's shoulder.

Fiddleford stood and took Ford's empty coffee mug, taking it to the quickly draining pot and poured him another cup, "They'll tell us, I'm sure." He took a shaky breath, handing Ford the cup again with a smile.

As Ford took a sip, Mabel came into the kitchen and paused.

"Oh!" She smiled, "Heya! How's everybody this morning?" She went to the cupboard and pulled out a couple of mugs, "Everyone all caffeinated and ready to sta-"

"Are you leaving us?"

Mabel paused and looked at Stan, who looked ready to cry.

"What?" She set the mugs down, "What, no! Why would you think that?" She asked, kneeling down next to him and putting her hands on his shoulder.

Ford hesitated, "You and your brother are packing all your stuff. We...."

Mabel frowned, "You guys haven't been packing?"

"Why would we?" Fiddleford asked.

Mabel looked at them, "We sent you letters and left messages. Are you all going senile at the same time?" She laughed, "Dipper and I are taking you for a trip away from Gravity Falls for a big memorable thing. We're renting a beach house and we've got a bunch of stuff planned- I know we told you about this!"

All three shook their heads no.

"Dipper!" Mabel shouted, "Kitchen! Now!" She waited a moment and stood, going to the doorway, " _Dipper Pines!_ "

"I'm coming, I'm coming, calm your tits, woman!" Dipper called back, "I'm sorry I didn't respond loud enough!" He came into sight, covered in dust, and continued to shout, "Let me try again! Okay, Mabel, I'm on my way! Can you hear me-" he stopped when she actually put her hand in his mouth.

"Didn't we tell them about the trip?" She asked and pulled her hand away, wiping it off with his shirt.

"Yeah, I left multiple messages on the machine and even made sure Soos could take care of the Shack while we were gone." Dipper spoke at a normal level now, "Why?"

"Because they thought we were leaving early and sitting in here being sad babies."

Dipper paused, "Wh-" he looked past her to the trio, who were looking at them, "No! Goodness, no! If anything we're staying longer than we usually do!" He laughed and the pair came back into the kitchen together, "There's nothing short of Mom and Dad getting stabbed or something that would make us leave early. And even then, we'd probably drag you with us to come see them." He grabbed a chair and sat down.

Mabel smiled and propped herself up on Dipper's shoulder, "So don't worry your adorable graying heads, we're not leaving. Well, technically we are? But you're coming with us."

"This time, we're gonna be the dumb tourists who look at everything and take stupid pictures and buy dumb souvenirs!" Dipper grinned, "Is there coffee left?"

"No." Mabel smacked him, "You've already had your coffee fix for the morning. Back to work, boy-man! Retrieve the item I will not name for surprising's sake!"

 

All five of them piled into Mabel's van with more than enough stuff to last them the week they'd be staying, as well as some extra stuff the older three weren't allowed to look through.

"Okay!" Dipper grinned, "Ready Mabel?"

Mabel smirked, "Bet you I can make two of them yell at me for my driving."

"See, that's like me betting you that Stan's going to shoplift at some point. Would you take that bet? No." Dipper rolled his eyes, "Just go, I wanna hear Grandpa Fids' funny Southern swears."

"What was that about swearing?" Fiddleford asked from the back.

"Nothing Grandpa Fids!" The twins both sang as Mabel pulled the van out onto the road.

It was unfortunate Dipper didn't take Mabel's bet, because Stan was the first to comment on Mabel's driving. He laughed and proudly declared "That's my girl!" as she violently swore at people on the road and drove at least twenty over the speed limit.

Which resulted in Ford and Fiddleford's anger to be directed at him.

Most of the drive they were ranting and rambling to him about how he's a "bad influence" and "poisoning these innocent children" and "absolutely ridiculous".

All of which Stan agreed that that's what he was doing, yes, that was the plan.

Once they arrived at the little beach house in Newport, Dipper talked to the couple renting it out to them. They'd been wary of renting to teenagers, but were surprised to see that their story of bringing their great uncles hadn't been a lie. They turned over the key, gave their cell numbers, and wished them a good time.

There were four rooms in the house. Stan and Fiddleford were given the Master, since they would be in there together, while the other three chose from the remaining rooms. Dipper logiced his way into getting the room closest to the kitchen- he was one of the two of them that could cook without risk of poisoning, the other being Fiddleford- and Mabel simply asked Ford which room he wanted and she took the other. Once their stuff was in their individual rooms, the younger pair brought in the food they'd packed and got to stocking the kitchen.

"Hey, where'd you two get beer?" Stan questioned.

Dipper rolled his eyes as he slid two cases into the fridge, "These definitely aren't from the pantry where you leave them in the open for literally anyone to grab." He looked back at Stan, "Definitely not that."

"Sassy little-"

"Sweet sarsaparilla, look at that view!" Fiddleford sighed, standing at the sliding glass door that led to the back porch. The sun was sinking over the horizon and reflecting color into the ocean, their trip having taken most of the day, and a light drizzle of rain was falling, every so often letting a few drops slide down the door, "Wow."  
Stan grinned and walked over to wrap his arm around Fiddleford's waist. The pair of them stayed there while the other three worked in the kitchen, enjoying the view and each other's company.


	2. Beer, Sun, Flirt

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dipper and Mabel make a run to the store.  
> Stan, Fidds, and Ford watch Star Trek.  
> Everyone goes to the beach.

 

The day started with Mabel and Dipper gone and a note on the fridge in Dipper's handwriting with Mabel's stickers explaining they'd gone out to get food they couldn't have brought with them like milk and eggs. They wouldn't be gone long and wished the older three luck in finding some suitable breakfast.

Fiddleford and Ford, both not big breakfast people, had a couple pieces of fruit together while Stan poured himself a dry bowl of knock-off Cheerios and popped open a beer.

"Breakfast of champions." He said in response to the look he got from his brother and boyfriend.

"Your liver must hate you." Ford shook his head, "Honestly, Stanley, it's not even ten in the morning and you're having beer?"

"Should I grab a soda instead?" Stan snarked back, "We got no other drinks, Sixer."

"We have water." Fiddleford told him.

"Fiddsy, baby, I love you, but I haven't had a glass of water since my boxing days and I'm too close to keelin' over to start now."

Fiddleford frowned, "Stanley, you're not dyin' unless it's me killin' you."

Stan paused and set down his drink, "I'm not sure if I'm frightened or aroused."

Ford rolled his eyes, "You're disgusting, that's what you are."

Stan grinned, "You know, babe, we've got that big room all to ourselves...."

Fiddleford chuckled, "I'm not having sex with you just to annoy Ford."

"Thank you." Ford sighed, "I'm going to put on a movie while we wait for the kids."

"Oh!" Fiddleford grinned, "Did you bring the Star Trek movies?"

"Only the ones with Kirk."

"We should watch the fourth," Fiddleford grinned, "That one always makes me laugh."

"Is that the one where they go back in time for whales?" Stan asked, "Because that's the only nerd movie I like."

"You liked Star Wars." Ford countered.

"That's different."

"You also like the Lord of the Rings and the Hobbit movies." Fiddleford added.

Stan frowned, "Those were actiony!"

"You cried when Thorin died."

"I did not and you can't prove anything!"

The three of them sat in the living room, all excited to have a decent-sized television, and watched their movie while munching on Stan's cereal.

When Dipper and Mabel came back all three of them were day drinking and watching Star Trek, having already finished the fourth and moved on to others, not even watching all of them in order. Mabel laughed and left Dipper to put the groceries away while she came over to them.

"It's not even noon." She commented, "Beer?"

Stan rolled his eyes and lifted his drink to her face, "Shush. Spock's gonna tell Jim about Sybok."

She chuckled and grabbed the drink, taking a sip.

"Stanley!" Ford chastised.

Stan paused, "Huh? Oh." He took the drink back from Mabel, "Bad child. Don't drink underage." He tapped her on the nose, but continued to share the can with her. "Really, Ford, they're kids. They're gonna drink illegally. I'd rather they do it around us and people we trust than running off and doing it somewhere else alone and getting themselves killed. Or raped. Or both."

Fiddleford sighed, "Just drink in moderation."

Mabel grinned and leaned forward over the back of the couch and pressed a kiss to his forehead, "Of course." He stood back up and turned back towards the kitchen, "Dipper! Hide the hard liquor, Fidds said no!"

"Alright!" Dipper called back, "I'll put it in your room!"

Stan laughed and shouted out himself, "Stan says yes if you share!"

"Ford says don't share with Stan because I don't want to deal with him drunk!"

Fiddleford perked up, "I retract my no if you share with both Stan and Ford!"

Dipper came into the room and sighed, "Okay, so all I heard after the word 'Stan' was yelling. What's going on?"

Mabel smiled, "Fidds wants to destroy the place by getting Stan and Ford drunk in a twelve mile radius of each other."

"Twenty says they argue before they even start drinking." Dipper took the beer can from Mabel and lifted it to his lips to find it empty, "Aw, boo. Betrayed by my own sister."

"You don't even like beer." Mabel countered."

"Neither do you, and yet this can has sparkly lip gloss on it."

"Touché."

"Hey!" Stan interjected, "You two said you had plans for the week. Are we doing anything today?"

Dipper crushed the can in his hand and tossed it into the trash can at the end of the room, "Yep! We're going to actually enjoy the beach today."

Fiddleford gasped, "You mean Stanford will have to go out in the sunlight?"

Ford shoved him, "And here I thought we were friends."

Mabel smiled, "The beach here is private for people who live on it, so there won't be a lot of other people out, too." She grabbed the remote and turned on the television, "So come on. Bathing suits, people. I made sure everyone had one. And decent ones that actually allow you to get sun." She tapped Stan on the head and walked away, "Dipper, grab the towels!"

"Sunscreen's in your bag!" Dipper responded and left the room.

With a sigh, Stan stood, "We better do as they say or we'll get in trouble."

Ford rolled his eyes, "Now, changing will require you both strip in vicinity of one another. Can you do that without acting like a hormonal teenager?"

Stan smirked, "I dunno, depends on how much I wanna piss you off."

Fiddleford slapped Stan's arm, "No. No sex. The kids expect us."

Stan chuckled and took his hand, leading him back to their room to look through both of their suitcases.

Despite Ford's words, the pair was able to strip and pull on the trunks Mabel had bought them without even touching one another, though there were some side glances.

Though, Stan did come over and place his hands on Fiddleford's hips and run his fingers over the pudge of his stomach, smiling. He was glad the engineer was actually eating well and not scavenging for a meal anymore.

"See somethin' you like, Hun?" Fiddleford chuckled and placed his hands over Stan's, lifting them so he could kiss his knuckles, "Because I do."

Stan paused and chuckled, "Oh really?"

"Mm-hm," Fiddleford smiled and looked him up and down, "You're gorgeous."

Stan shook his head, "I don't know if I'd go that far. You're the attractive one in the relationship, after all."

Fiddleford rolled his eyes and leaned up to kiss Stan gently, "You're gorgeous, Stanley."

"If you insist."

"I do," Fiddleford nodded and turned towards the door, "Now come on. I want to go lay on the beach."

The pair came out to find everyone else already ready. Both had to pause a moment at the surprise of seeing Ford without a shirt on, but Mabel had said that the beach was private, and everyone there had already seen his scars. The girl had even made a point of giving him every remedy she knew of for fading scars and helping him keep up with them.

But that didn't change that they were there. A good amount had faded so they barely looked like discoloration in his skin, parts that were a bit too light or too pink compared to the rest of him, but others had sat infected for too long and refused to heal and fade, like the violent red brand on his arm or the chunk of skin missing from his leg.

Despite his scars being exposed so, Ford grinned, "There you two are! Come on, let's go enjoy the water."

The five of them made their way out to the water, the heat burning their feet even through their sandals and flip flops. They were quick to get to the harder sand and lay out their towels and put down the umbrellas Dipper had brought. They all quickly lotioned up and Mabel and Dipper raced to the water, laughing like excited children, bright and happy. The cheerful sound had the older three laughing as well and they all ended up in the water, swimming and splashing and even finding a sea star.

Eventually everyone went and laid out on the beach. At some point Dipper went inside and got sandwiches for everyone, which were devoured in seconds, and after that brief lunch Mabel convinced her brother to jog down the beach with her for a bit.

"Come on, bro-bro; let's get some muscle on those bones!"

"I'm perfectly okay with being noodley, thank you."

"Dipper, I could probably bench press you." She deadpanned.

He pointed up at her, "If you could I would be extremely impressed." He sighed when she glared at him and stood up, "Fine, fine, I'll go jogging with you, you fiend. Looking out for my physical wellbeing and all that. Awful, just the worst." He groped and complained sarcastically even as the pair of them left.

"I swear that boy has more sass in him than alcohol in moonshine." Fiddleford chuckled.

Stan scoffed, "I've learned that sass and sarcasm is the natural defense mechanism for intellectuals."

Ford rolled his eyes, "That's not true."

"You literally told a creature that suddenly grew out of your board game to 'get a taste of my gun' Stanford."

"I don't sound like that."

Stan smirked and straightened his back, puffing out his chest, "I'm Stanford Pines and I have no idea how to interact with other regular human beings."

Fiddleford giggled, "He's got you pegged."

Ford huffed, "I don't have to take this mockery. I'm going inside." He chuckled and as he walked away, towel in hand, slouched, "I'm Stanley Pines and I'm such a criminal I have at least twelve different bank accounts under different aliases!"

Fiddleford laughed, "You two really are twins, there's no doubting that." He paused when he realized Stan was smiling at him, "What is it?"

"Nothing, your laugh is just beautiful."

He blushed and shoved Stan's arm, "Oh, hush, you charmer!"

"No, really!" Stan grinned, "It's adorable. And you look so nice in this light."

Fiddleford smiled and cuddled up against Stan's side, the pair of them sitting and watching the waves.

They were asleep by the time Dipper and Mabel returned.


	3. Sunburns, Photographs, Exhaustion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Stan and Dipper were stupid and didn't reapply sunscreen. Now they look like lobsters.   
> Speaking of lobsters, who wants to go to an aquarium?

 "Ow, ow!" Stan hissed and frowned at his stomach in the mirror.

"This is your own fault for not reapplying sunscreen when the rest of us did." Fiddleford told him.

"But Fiddsy, it hurts!"

"Oh, no, you have to deal with this." Fiddleford chuckled and stepped into the bathroom to kiss Stan's cheek, "Don't worry. Mabel said she was going to get something for the burn Dipper has, so you can use some of that."

Stan winced, "All of Mabel's remedies are.... odd. Doesn't help that her damn girlfriend is obsessed with health food and natural cures and shit."

"Language."

Stan rolled his eyes and cupped Fiddleford's cheeks in his hands, leaning in close. The engineer blushed and closed his eyes, expecting a kiss.

"Fuck you." Stan said simply and dropped his hands, walking out of the bathroom and back into the bedroom.

Fiddleford huffed and jabbed his finger against Stan's sunburn as he passed by to look through their things for outfits for the day.

"The kids said we'd be sightseeing today." He told his boyfriend, "So I can actually use that camera Ford and I fixed up." He pulled said camera out of his backpack, sliding it around his neck despite that he was still only in his pajamas. He lifted the device, pulled off the lens cap, and pointed it at Stan, "Give me a sexy pose, Stanley."

Stan looked at Fiddleford from where he's flopped onto the bed, his bright red tummy exposed. He chuckled and turned on his side, propping his head up in his hand and placing the other on his hip as he pursed his lips.

Fiddleford laughed and snapped the photo.

"Well it didn't explode, so that's good." Stan commented.

Fiddleford smiled, "Your brother still had the dark room from our old days back at the Shack, so we can develop these pictures when we at back."

"Damn, developing pictures? That's old."

"It's an old camera, Stanley. You have no idea how hard it was to find the three rolls of film for it that I did." He laughed and put the cap back over the lens and pulled the strap back over his head to set the camera down, "It'll be fun to develop them, though. Give me and Ford a chance to gossip."

"You mean figure out when you can sneak off and go do dangerous things without me." Stan huffed.

Fiddleford rolled his eyes, "We don't sneak off, Stanley. We walk out the front door."

"Yeah and last time you came back in the front door with a sprained wrist and Ford had actually broken something in his foot. Do you remember how he did that?"

"He got stabbed in the foot."

"He got stabbed in the foot!" Stan shouted, rolling onto his back, groaning, "I don't mind you going to look at the crazy stuff, I really don't, but I'd like to be there for the extra muscle."

Fiddleford sat down next to him, "Your brother has a laser pistol."

"Didn't stop him from getting his foot stabbed." Stan shot back and slowly sat up, wincing because of his burn, "I just get nervous. Is that so wrong? We're not as spry and quick as we used to be." He reached over and took one of Fiddleford's hands in his, "I don't want to lose you. Either of you. I only just got him back."

"It's been about six years, Stanley." Fiddleford smiled.

But that didn't help, "Yeah! Six years! Six years of actually having him back and being brothers again! That's not enough! I want, I don't know, fifty!"

Fiddleford chucked, "Fifty years?"

"Yeah!" Stan huffed and jabbed a finger at Fiddleford, "I want sixty with you."

" _Sixty_? Why, Stanley, we'd be over a hundred twenty years old by then!" He laughed and took Stan's hands in his, "How about we just have as many as we have left?" He offered, "Until the end."

Stan paused and his face flushed redder than his sunburnt belly, "Y-yeah. I like that."

There was a knock on the door and Dipper's voice followed, "Mabel got cream for sunburns. Please tell me if you're naked before I come in."

"We're completely naked and fucking." Stan deadpanned.

Fiddleford laughed, "It's alright, Dipper, we're decent."

The door opened and Dipper came in, his own shoulders and torso red with sunburn, along with his cheeks and nose. He held up a tin and smiled, "This stuff's good, too, Mom and Dad always buy it when we go to the beach because I burn so easily."

Fiddleford smiled, "You two have fun, I'm going to get food." He kissed Stan's cheek before he stood and got his camera.

When Fiddleford was gone, Stan turned to Dipper, who was already spreading the cream over his skin, "Hey, kid, I got a question."

 

Mabel had never seen her brother so excited to get outside. Ever. He loved his mysteries and monster hunts, but even those had him nervous a bit when he was leaving.

But Dipper was practically shoving everyone out the door at once. Sure, he'd triple-checked they had everything and then went over it again with her, but this enthusiasm was completely out of nowhere.

"I was thinking we could go to the aquarium first!" Dipper suggested.

Fiddleford grinned, "Wonderful! What do you think, Stanley?"

"Sure, I don't mind starin' at some fish." Stan chuckled.

Dipper grinned, "Wonderful! You two go on ahead, I want to discuss something with Ford and Mabel." He grabbed the two by their wrists and forced them to stop walking.

"Alright! We'll meet you there!" Fiddleford smiled and waved back at them.

Dipper didn't say or do anything until the couple was long out of earshot. He quickly threw his hands up and ran them through his hair, "Oh my God, holy _shit_ , holy _fuck_!"

Ford frowned, "Watch your language."

Dipper ignored him and grabbed his sister by her face, "Mabel! Stan, he-" the boy was actually giggling in his excitement, "I went to go share that sunburn cream with him, right?"

"Uh-huh?"

"Well, he told me he needed to ask me something, something that would have an effect on our _whole_ family. Something he wanted me to help him discuss with both of you." He looked at Ford, too, as he spoke, grinning wide.

"Well?" Ford chuckled, "Out with it!"

 

"My word, look at the size of it!" Fiddleford chuckled and squeezed Stan's hand, "Why, you could fit a child in that creature and they'd still have room to wiggle."

Stan chuckled, "Your analogies are kinda horrifying sometimes, you realize that, right?"

He ignored the comment, "Stand next to it so I can get a good size comparison picture."

Stan laughed, but did as he was told, standing close to the fish tank that held the enormous fish in question. After a few photos, Fiddleford dropped his camera and grinned.

"Next to you, it almost looks small."

"Are you callin' me fat?" Stan teased.

"Oh, heavens, no," Fiddleford hummed, "Though you definitely have more than just a thin layer of squish to you." He smiled and wrapped his arm around Stan's back, "No, you're just.... big. Darn well enormous. I mean, just look at how big you are compared to me!" He straightened his posture and the top of his hair just passed under Stan's nose. When Stan actually stood up straight, it just slightly tickled his lips.

"I like how much shorter you are than me." Stan smiled and wrapped his arm around Fiddleford, "It's cute."

"Well, thank you kindly, but I don't even just mean height." Fiddleford stepped out in front of Stan and held out his hands to the widest part of the other's belly, "You're worth nearly two and a half of me!" He pulled his hand back to himself, showing the difference.

Stan smiled and slouched down to press their noses together, "Is it a problem?"

"Gosh, no. I love it."

"Then why are you making such a fuss, you knucklehead?" Stan straightened up again and took Fiddleford's hand in his, "Let's go look at the fish that could kill someone."

They never did run into Dipper and the others again, but stayed as long as they could in an attempt to find them. They got tired quickly and shared a meal at the food court to rest their feet before going back through the whole thing. They got a couple of trinkets at the gift shop and after wandering through again and deciding to get a plush manatee for Mabel, they were practically exhausted. But they stayed in the food court a little longer and even went through the exhibits one last time before deciding to head back to the house.

Turns out the others never even came to join them.

"Well, the aquatic research center gives tours, as well, and we thought it would be a nice date for the two of you." Ford tried explaining.

Stan sighed and held out the toy to Mabel, "Here. We'd let you name him, but we were holding onto him for so long we ended up calling him Frederick after a tour guide who slipped and fell in the sting ray pond."

She squealed and grabbed him, "Hello, Frederick! It's wonderful to meet you!" She laughed and hugged him to her chest, "Thank you!"

"Yeah, yeah." Stan waved absently, "Sleepy time."

Fiddleford was already gone, in their room, stripped down to his underwear, and flopped onto the bed, dead asleep. Stan quickly followed suit, stripping to his striped boxers and crawling into bed, pulling the engineer into his arms. As soon as Fiddleford was pressed against his chest, he was out.

A couple hours passed and Mabel tried to call them for dinner, but they were dead to the world, and so she decided not to bother them. Instead she came back out to the pair sitting and munching on her quick-cooked chicken and rice.

"They're gonna want a big breakfast in the morning." She chuckled and took her seat again.

"Well, tomorrow we head to do the other thing," Dipper spoke cryptically because of Ford's presence, "so I wanted to get up and make something good anyways. Biscuits and gravy? I can even make extra bacon and sausage since we ended up getting so much of it."

Mabel grinned, "Yes."

"I second that." Ford added.

"Then it's agreed." Dipper chuckled and dug into his bowl.

A moment of silence.

Ford set his empty bowl on the coffee table and leaned forward, propping his arms on his knees. He chuckled and grinned, looking at Dipper.

"So he really wants to _propose_?"


	4. Lake, Trouble, Laughter

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Have you ever seen a Mermaid?

As promised, Dipper got up before everyone and made a huge breakfast of biscuits and gravy, with extra sausage and bacon on the side. He had cups of coffee set out already, having chugged one himself, and a second pot brewing.

Ford was first to wake, having discovered his internal clock didn't like granting him more than five hours of sleep anymore. With that in mind, he'd stayed up reading Harry Potter, interested in catching up on literature.

Mabel was next, and everyone got out of her way as she grabbed her pink mug and sipped at it. Any interaction before she instigated it could result in injury or death. The only exceptions to this rule seemed to be those she dubbed 'adorable' like Waddles, Fiddleford, and Pacifica.

When Stan and Fiddleford got up, they were quick to start eating before saying their good mornings.

"Sleep well?" Dipper asked, immediately putting a few extra sausages on Stan's plate, knowing he'd eat them, "You two didn't even wake up for dinner last night."

"We walked around that place, what, four times?" Stan looked at Fiddleford confirmation, who shrugged in response. "We're old. We were tired."

Mabel chuckled, "It's okay. You were cuddling and it was adorable so I let you sleep. I took your camera and snapped a picture."

Fiddleford blushed, "Aw, that's sweet."

Ford gagged, "Ugh, do I have to deal with this all week? At least we have separate rooms."

Dipper grinned, "About that," he turned and refilled Ford's mug with coffee, "We're going camping for a few days."

"What?" Stan frowned, "Why? We fucking live in the woods back home."

"Language." Fiddleford smacked Stan on the back of his head.

"We live in a built house with air conditioning back home." Mabel corrected, "We're gonna be roughing it! Except, you know, we brought a couple tents."

Dipper chuckled, "Plus it's on a camping ground so if we die they'll find our corpses before we decompose. The groundskeepers check in once daily with everyone using the grounds and then around ten at night to make sure everyone's okay before bedtime."

Fiddleford smiled, "So, how rough is this roughing it going to be if we're in a park?"

"Oh, in the woods, making our own fire, everything." Dipper reassured, "The groundskeepers will only assist in an emergency, and even then only if they're around. We're lucky, too. Mabel was able to get us the area nearest the lake. We can go fishing."

Mabel grinned with pride, "I threatened a soccer mom!"

Ford smiled, "I think it sounds like fun!"

"And we'll still have two days here when we get back." Dipper added.

Fiddleford looked up at Stan, "It'll be fun!"

"Alright, alright, you don't need to try to convince me." Stan grumbled, "At least the things in these woods won't use magic to try to eat us."

 

After packing up small bags and setting out, the group arrived at the campgrounds and they were guided out to their section of the park.

Ford and Fiddleford immediately got to work setting up the tents while Dipper started on getting a fire ready where other groups before had placed theirs.

Stan and Mabel took up some fishing poles and headed down to the lake to catch some food for all of them, the pair of them betting who could catch the biggest fish.

It hadn't even been half an hour.

They'd only just finished the tents and Dipper had gotten the firewood looking how he wanted.

Mabel's very distinguishable scream cut through the air.

Now, no one could accuse Dipper Pines of being an overly aggressive person, especially to his loved ones. But he shoved past Ford and Fiddleford so violently to run towards the lake that the pair of them were dropped onto their butts.

" _Mabel_!" Dipper broke through the trees.

Mabel was drenched, curled up in Stan's arms, shaking like a leaf.

"It's _summer_." She whined, "Why is it so damn _cold_? That's not right." She noticed Dipper standing by her and grinned, "Hey, I'm okay. Something just.... Something stole my fishing rod and I didn't let go soon enough."

Dipper was pulling off his jacket before she even finished, draping it over her, "Come on, I'll get the fire started now to help you dry off."

Stan carefully set her down, his adrenaline wearing off and the ache in his back from holding her making itself known. She pulled Dipper's jacket around her tighter and laughed, "First day and I'm already causing trouble."

Dipper guided her back to the camp as Fiddleford and Ford looking into the water to see what could've grabbed her like that.

"It was probably just some big fish." Fiddleford said, though he didn't sound convinced.

"Whatever it is I wanna _rip_ it open and serve it for _dinner_ for hurtin' my little girl like that." Stan grumbled.

Ford looked over the nearby area and frowned, "Hand me a rock."

Luckily, there were rocks everywhere, and so Stan just bent down and tossed one to Ford. There was a brief pause that felt like ages before he stepped back and hurled it in an arch that landed hard behind a group of rocks a little ways out in the water.

"Ah!" A voice rose and there was a splash. Ford quickly reached out and had the three of them stepping back away from the water.

Another moment that felt like eternity passed and from the still water poked the head of a young girl, her skin dark and tanned with long black hair but bright pink eyes.

"Oh." Fiddleford paused, "Stanford, which-"

"It's not a siren." Ford reassured him, "Just a plain Mer."

"Rude!" She shouted, "Calling me plain. I should climb up there and have your hands for my lunch!"

Ford chuckled and crouched down, "Sweetheart, the girl you just attempted to drown is my great niece. Now, I might find you fascinating, but my brother here," he pointed up at Stan, "Is probably ready to ask me if your kind is edible. He'd never admit it, but Mabel is his favorite. So if I were you I wouldn’t try crawling up here.”

She bared her sharp teeth, "How dare you threaten me! This is my lake! You are trespassing! Go away or I'll devour all of you!"

"Fiddleford," Stan didn't look away from the girl, "Look away."

She paused, "What?" She noticed how the third member of their party averted his eyes and even lifted his hand to block his line of sight, "What are you doing?"

Ford chuckled, "Fidds doesn't like blood. And both Stanley and I are carrying guns. So." He stood and pulled his weapon, "What's your name?"

She quickly changed her demeanor, "Ca-Cassandra! Please! The girl, her line hooked my tail! I don't normally attack humans, it just hurt! It was a reflex! I didn’t intend to hurt her!" She lifted her tail to prove her point and, sure enough, there was a small tear in the fin, "I don't even like the taste of human! I had it once and it was awful! Here, I- I can help you! A trade! You don't use those guns and I'll catch you fish!"

Ford hummed and put his weapon away. He looked at his brother, who glanced at him.

"Well, Sixer? You know these things better than me."

"First off, they're inedible. Their blood is poisonous when cooked, so she would just be a corpse in a lake for someone to find. Do we really want to alert the normal people of the existence of Mers?"

Stan sighed and shoved his gun away, "Fine." He turned and went over to Fiddleford, comforting him.

Cassandra looked to Ford, "I promise. I'll bring you fish. I've done it before for humans. Just, never in person. I skewer the fish on their lines so they eat without coming into my water."

Ford smiled, "Smart. But, yes, we'd gladly take some fish."

She sighed in relief, "Thank you, Mister Sixer!"

He paused and laughed, "No, no, that's not my name. That's just a nickname. You can call me Ford. That's Stan and Fiddleford. The girl is Mabel and Dipper is her brother."

Cassandra nodded, "Okay. I'll go get those fish! I'll be back soon!" She turned and swam away.

Ford sighed and turned to Stan and Fiddleford. "You okay?"

"Were you really going to shoot her?" Fiddleford asked.

"God, no." Ford chuckled, "She's a child and scared. At most I would've shot the water to scare her off." He pulled his friend in for a hug, "Don't worry. We just needed to scare her."

Stan smiled and leaned in to kiss Fiddleford's temple, "It's okay, babe. Do you want to go check on Mabel?"

Fiddleford nodded and quickly latched onto Stan's arm. The pair made their way back to the camp where Dipper had Mabel wrapped in a blanket and changed into her pajamas, her wet clothes laid out to dry.

Dipper, however, was dressed up in one of Mabel's outfits casually, his signature hat still on his head.

"Kid, I'm not trying to scare you, but you're in a skirt." Stan told him with a smirk.

"Indeed I am." Dipper nodded, "Mabel said it would help her feel better. And so, as the caring and dutiful brother I am, I did it." He chuckled and looked over at Mabel, "Plus, I think I look pretty cute."

Fiddleford smiled. "Of course you do."

Mabel nodded, "I took a couple pictures with your camera again, I hope you don't mind."

"No, no, I'd want pictures of this. Thank you. Did he pose?"

"Like a pin-up girl." Mabel laughed, "In multiple poses."

Dipper nodded, "I take self-humiliation for the sake of my sister's happiness very seriously."

Stan laughed, "I've said it before and I'll say it again; it's unnatural for siblings to get along as well as you two."


	5. Night, Stars, Breeze

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Stan has a bad habit of saying things he's embarrassed to say in sign language.

The day had been planned for the group to go hiking along the trails, for them to explore the area, discover the flora and fauna of the area and take in the beautiful scenery.

Instead Ford and Dipper spent the whole day geeking out about Cassandra. Ford spouted his knowledge about Mer kind, Cassandra gave them the fish she had caught for them, and Dipper wrote everything down in the journal he'd brought.

So Mabel had huffed and taken Stan and Fiddleford on the hike, though without the two biggest nerds in their group, it wasn't what she had wanted it to be. Fiddleford was smart, but he knew nothing about identifying plant life or figuring out the animals of the area.

The day wasn't that great for her and she pointedly ignored her brother and Ford, even making a point to only say goodnight to Stan and Fiddleford.

Ford and Dipper at least had the smarts to be sorry for their disruption of the plans and ruining the hike. Dipper tried to apologize to his sister when he went to bed in the tent they shared, but she was still ignoring him.

The tension was palatable.

So once Ford finally fell asleep, Stan nudged Fiddleford and the pair pulled their sleeping bags out of the tent they shared with him and into the open air.

"Without lights out here, the stars are brighter." Stan mused and wrapped his arm around Fiddleford's waist.

"It's beautiful." Fiddleford leaned his head on Stan's shoulder and sighed, "Mabel will forgive those two, right?"

"Dipper'll wake up early to make her breakfast and Ford'll do something nerdy to impress her and she'll be fine. Tomorrow we head back to the house, so if she hasn't forgiven them by then, they'll probably take her to dinner or something."

Fiddleford smiled, "Good. I'm having fun. This was a wonderful idea."

Stan looked down at the engineer. He was absolutely beautiful in the moonlight. His hair practically glowed, a little messy from the light breeze that passed over the lake. Off in the distance, they could hear Cassandra singing a song about the full moon and it just all seemed so perfect.

Yes. He'd decided. He was going to do it. Not right now, but before they went back. Within the next few days he was going to ask Fiddleford McGucket to be his husband.

Oh, jeez.

He was going to do it.

He was terrible at romance. How was he supposed to _do this_?

He'd need to get away from Fiddleford to get a ring, too.

Would he want a ring?

What was his ring size?

Crap, how was he supposed to figure that out? He couldn't just ask. Fiddleford would get suspicious! And it was possible he didn't even know!

Maybe Dipper could help? No doubt he'd told Mabel and Ford by now, too.

"Stanley?"

He paused and looked over to the object of his thoughts, "Hm?"

"You look troubled, Hun." Fiddleford placed his hand on Stan's shoulder, "What's wrong?"

Stan blushed and shook his head, "No-Nothing! No, I just, I'm just spacing off."

Fiddleford chuckled, "What were you thinking about?"

He hesitated, "Just.... Lots of things. The past, the present...." He pulled Fiddleford's hand off his shoulder and held it in his hand, "The future."

The engineer smiled and hummed, "Care to be more specific?"

"How did I get lucky enough to have you as mine?" Stan asked, changing the subject.

Fiddleford blushed and grinned, "You taught me sign language and gave me somewhere to stay for the holidays."

Stan chuckled and pulled his hands away, signing a few quick phrases.

"I don't recognize all of that." Fiddleford paused and tried to lean forward to see the signs better, "What did it mean?"

Stan signed it again, "It's just.... another way to say I love you."

Fiddleford rolled his eyes, "You're hiding things from me again."

Stan grinned and signed it again. _I want to have you by me until the end of time._ "Maybe I am. You like how I'm mysterious, though."

Fiddleford laughed and took Stan's hand again, "Yes, I do. I love my Mister Mystery. But I'm going to figure you out, even if I have to take classes to get as fluent as you and your brothers."

The pair slipped into a comfortable silence and stared up at the stars. Stan's mind slipped out of its earlier panic and he thought clearly about how he could pull this off.

Mabel could help figure out his ring size.

Dipper could help him find a place to do it.

Ford'll be there for the pep talk he'll inevitably need.

Mabel will give the second pep talk he'll inevitably need.

Dipper with be the final pep talk and shove out the door.

And Fiddleford.

Fiddleford would be perfect.

He was always perfect.

He could just imagine it.

Maybe he would take Fiddleford out onto the beach when it was a nice night like this, walk with him, holding his hand. They'd probably talk about what happened that day, or perhaps what they'd do the next day.

Dipper, Mabel, and Ford would probably follow them stealthily to eavesdrop. It would probably bring him comfort knowing they were there.

Or perhaps he would go stereotypical and take him to dinner. The other three would still follow and put themselves close enough to listen in, the nosy dorks that they were.

He could see Fiddleford's look of surprise, the way he'd blush and gasp. He'd probably tear up, too. Would he whisper in joy or scream it out?

Would he want to get married?

They were old and they wouldn't have long together.

Would he prefer them as they are?

What if he said no?

Stan glanced down at Fiddleford and paused.

He'd fallen asleep.

He smiled and gently shook him awake so he could get settled inside his sleeping bag before passing back out.

Stan sighed quietly and looked back up at the stars. He was thankful for everything that had happened the past few years. Not just for that Chrismakkuh, though it had been wonderful. He was thankful that Fiddleford had been able to learn to sleep alone, to not jump awake at every sound, every change of temperature, every shift. Now he slept like a bag of rocks and it took dumping a bucket of water to wake him up. It was a wonderful and welcome change.

There was also the way they'd changed the engineer's diet. He was so used to getting what food he can and shoving it down his throat because he'd never know when he'd get another meal that they'd had to contact a nutritionist to write him a meal plan to get his diet healthy again.

The shop they'd opened in town was incredible, too. No one in town went anywhere else for their technological troubles. He'd even managed to fix the spinning pie rack at Greasy's for Susan. The profit he turned was insignificant compared to the Shack's, but it made him happy, so Stan didn't even care about the money.

Stan looked back down at his boyfriend and smiled.

He didn't care if Fiddleford didn't want to get married, he was going to ask anyways.


	6. Campfire, Fireflies, Suspicious

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Time to head back and spend some time relaxing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry this is so super short, tomorrow's will be a lot longer.

Stan had been right on the money.

When Mabel woke up she was greeted to a big plate of food and two grinning nerds. The pair of them had even gotten up ridiculously early to follow the hiking trail together and document all the flora and fauna they'd seen in Dipper's journal.

The notes for them weren't the typical ones that the pair took, though. They were comments about how certain plants were best preserved, how to keep their petals looking alive, which animals could be domesticated, what the animals ate, things that would interest her.

She graciously accepted the gift.

Fiddleford ended up being the one to tell Cassandra they were leaving so she wouldn't accidentally reveal herself to another family while the others took the camp apart.

The campfire was last to go, and Dipper ended up just taking the extra wood he'd gathered and set it up again for the next group to come through.

Around noon the groundskeeper came around and picked them up, taking them back to their car. She talked animatedly and was happy they'd enjoyed their stay. She even helped them with their bags and waved goodbye as they drove off.

With Mabel at the wheel, the return trip took half the time it should have.

Once they were back in the house and their bags tossed back in their respective rooms, everyone plopped down on the couch to enjoy the wonders of modern technology and watch some movies.

About halfway through the movie Stan adjusted to tap Dipper on the shoulder and motioned for him to join him in the kitchen. Fiddleford watched the pair go and paused.

"Now what're you two off to do?"

"Popcorn," Dipper answered quickly, "and more drinks."

Fiddleford frowned, but shrugged it off. After all, they'd seen these movies all together probably a hundred times. Mabel was dramatically quoting it, even, in time with the characters themselves.

However, her perfect imitation of William Shatner was interrupted by her phone going off. She opened it up and paused.

"Uh, I'll be right back." She stood and hurried off in the direction of the kitchen.

Ford and Fiddleford made eye contact and the twin shrugged.

"Probably Pacifica." He offered, "We were out of range of any cell phone towers for two whole nights. She's probably starved for attention by now."

Fiddleford chuckled, "Yes, I know the feeling. You and Stanley went off on that boat for almost a full year and called a total of seven times."

"We sent letters!"

"Letters that got to me two months after you sent them!" He huffed, "Makin' me worry over you again. It was cruel."

Ford grinned, "You already got us back. You locked us out of our own house for three days before we bribed you with dinner with Tate."

Fiddleford grinned and got comfy again, "Damn right I did. S'what you deserved."

"We got back in one piece with untold treasures and so much gold we could've melted it all and built a life size monument of our whole family with it." Ford chuckled, "I think we deserved a friendlier welcome than being stuck out in the rain."

"Shoulda made you two stay out until the kids came back!" Fiddleford scoffed, "I had to spent Chrismukkah with them alone that year."

"We repaid them for that, too!" Ford rolled his eyes, "You're just bitter. A bitter old man."

"A bitter old man who's gonna pop you in the mouth."

Despite their argument, both were grinning wide. If Fiddleford did reach over and hit Ford, Ford would just retaliate by lifting all of Fiddleford's one hundred fifty pounds into the air and then make jokes about how light he was. Their banter typically ended up that way now. Usually it ended with either Ford dumping Fiddleford on the nearest soft surface- the couch, the bed, Stanley- or with Stan swooping in and lifting Fiddleford from his brother's arms proclaiming his ownership of the engineer loud enough for all to hear as he darted from the room.

However, this was interrupted when Dipper called for Ford, who got up to see what the boy wanted.

Leaving Fiddleford alone.

He knew they'd seen this movie a lot, they watched it all the time, but this was ridiculous. If someone was bored, they'd usually suggest a counter option to what they were watching, not just leave.

What was going on?

Before he had a chance to get up and figure it out, Mabel came back in and paused the movie.

"Grandpa Fidds, come here!" She giggled and grabbed his hands, pulling him up to his feet. She tossed one of his sweaters at him, which he pulled on, and led him out the front door onto the porch.

"Oh!" He grinned, "Oh my goodness!" He laughed and looked at Mabel.

Outside it seemed like every firefly in the world was buzzing about, blinking their lights in swarms. A few had already managed to wedge themselves in Mabel's mass of hair and Fiddleford was quick to help them escape.

"I saw them from my window." She smiled, "Oh, I'll go get your camera, stay here." She turned and hurried back inside.

Fiddleford stayed on the porch, watching the lights blink through the night.

He didn't notice Mabel had returned until he heard the camera shutter.

"They're in your beard." She chuckled and reached forward to help the bugs escape.

"I think it's a good look for you, babe. You already light up my world, why not the rest?" Stan wrapped his arms around Fiddleford's waist and kissed his cheek.

"Ew, gross." Ford gagged, "Dipper, make him stop."

"Me? He's your brother!" Dipper laughed, "And I think they're cute."

"That's _why_ it's awful." Ford chuckled.

The group fell into silence and watched the swarms of bugs as they flew through the air.


	7. Honey, Seashells, Chocolate

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> How about some shopping? We can buy lots of things like candy and clothes and engagement rings and food....

Dipper was up early to make their breakfast again. He easily whipped together some pancakes and made a big pot of coffee for everyone. He downed a cup for himself before anyone woke up so he could fuel his addiction without getting yelled at.

Slowly, everyone woke and helped themselves to pancakes. Dipper and Mabel had forgotten to get syrup at the store, so everyone topped their breakfast with honey or peanut butter or both. The sweetness helped a lot with waking everyone, as well as the coffee.

"What are we up to today?" Fiddleford asked.

Mabel smiled, "Today's a free day to do what you want. I wanted to go down to the shopping center and see what they've got down there."

"I'm coming with you." Dipper said, "I need something to wear to Paz's stupid party. She's determined to say that button-up flannel isn't fancy." He scoffed, as though the very idea was blasphemous.

"Why don't we all go?" Ford offered, "We only have one vehicle, after all."

Fiddleford smiled, "That sounds wonderful!"

Stan nodded his agreement, his mouth stuffed full of pancakes.

"You are making a mess." Fiddleford chided.

Stan said something that no one understood before pausing, swallowing, and trying again, "I am a mess."

"No one's going to argue with you there." Ford smirked and got up to wash his plate.

"Don't pull that self-righteous shit,"

"Language, Stanley." Fiddleford interjected.

"You were just stuffing your face, too." Stan rolled his eyes.

Dipper interrupted before the two could start arguing, "Alright, alright, everyone get dressed. I'm glad you enjoyed your breakfast but now I have to clean up after you slobs."

"Babe, you've got honey in your beard."

"What? Darn it, that's gonna be a bitch to get out!"

Everyone gasped all at once, "Fiddleford! _Language_!"

He blushed and huffed, "Oh, I say one word and everyone's on my case! I see how it is! Darn hypocrites."

 

They ended up splitting the group in two once they got to the mall. Ford and Stan took Dipper to find something for him to wear to Pacifica's party while Mabel and Fiddleford went off to just look around.

"Have you ever been here?" Fiddleford asked her as they strolled about.

"Nope!" Mabel smiled, "But I'm sure we'll find something to do." She immediately gasped, "Oh, look! A cute little Ma and Pop jewelry store!" She grabbed his hand and pulled him along, "Come try things on with me!"

She didn't like lying, especially to her Grandpa Fidds, but this was for the greater good! She's checked out this shop online the night before and they went by sizes, so this would be the perfect place to get Fiddleford's ring size for Stan! She dragged him in and almost immediately a young woman was with them, showing them the store and, as expected, finding their sizes.

"You have such small hands!" The woman told Fiddleford, "What do you do?"

He blushed, "I typically work with computers and robots and what have you."

She smiled, "Well, Sir, your ring size is just about a eight." She picked up a ring from the wide array around them and held it out to him, "Here, try this on and see how it feels."

He slid the seashell-adorned ring onto his right ring finger and smiled, "It fits just right! Well, there's your answer, Mabel. I'm a size eight!"

Mabel grinned, "That's not much bigger than me! I'm a six and a half." She lifted her hands, all of her fingers covered in rings, "At least, my ring fingers are."

 

Stan and Ford took Dipper into the first decent looking suit shop for the teen. An associate was quick to help them since it the store was very scarcely occupied. Probably because it was early.

The man helping them was quick to figure out Dipper's size and tell him to wait with his uncles in the changing area while he searched for a few options.

Dipper didn't mind. It gave the three of them time to talk.

"I want to do it tomorrow." Stan told them, "I don't want to wait until we get back to Gravity Falls."

Dipper smiled, "Romantic old sap. Then do it. Mabel will have found Fidds' ring size by the time we finish up here, so she'll text it to me and we can get him a ring." He paused, "Are you going to wear a ring?"

Stan paused, "What?"

"Guys don't usually wear rings through engagements, but that's because they don't want to feel tied down." Dipper shrugged, "Or so TV has taught me."

Ford looked at his brother, "You should have a ring for your engagement."

"Mister Pines," their assistant interrupted, "I brought you a few different options, try them on if you wish. Please tell me if they fit properly."

"Alright," Dipper took the bundle of clothes, "What was your name again?"

"Bill."

The three of them paused and Dipper took a sharp breath.

"Can I call you William?"

"Sure!"

He grinned, "Alright! I'll go try these on and let you know how they fit then, William!" He stepped into the dressing room and closed the door, stripping down as he continued his conversation with Stan and Ford, "So are you going to get a ring for yourself?"

Stan hummed, "I don't know. Do they make rings big enough for my hands?"

Dipper rolled his eyes and grabbed a button-up shirt, "Yes, they make rings your size, you'd just probably have to custom order it. It'd cost a bit more, but Fidds is worth the extra money, right?"

Ford laughed, " _Damn_! These kids really do know how to manipulate you!"

Stan huffed, "Yeah, yeah, I'm a big pushover." He looked down at his hand, "But I think I will get rings for both of us. That'd be nice, right? I don't want him to have to wear one and then I don't."

Dipper chuckled as he stepped out, only in a shirt and slacks, "That is sweet. I was gonna buy some chocolate later but I think I'll rot my teeth on how sweet you are." He ran his hands down the shirt, "Good? Bad?"

Ford smiled, "Good, but tuck in your shirt."

Dipper nodded and did so, "These fit best and I like the dark blue color." He told William, "I'd prefer not any yellow or gold in the colors, if you don't mind."

"Not a problem!" William grinned, "If you'll give me a minute, I'll find some vests and jackets. Would you like some neckwear, as well?"

"I'd prefer not, but if you find something you like I'll try it." Dipper smiled.

William happily walked off, leaving the three again.

"So do you want his to have, like, a big gem on top?" Dipper asked.

"With how much he works on those robots of his?" Stan chuckled, "No, he'd end up accidentally breaking it off."

"Well, there are rings with inlaid gems." Ford offered, which had the other two surprised.

"Really?" Dipper asked.

Ford nodded, "Mabel took me shopping for a promise ring for Pacifica last winter. I learned a lot about rings and how they work."

"Everything is a learning experience for you, isn't it?" Dipper chuckled, "Alright, inlaid gems it is. What kinds? Diamonds don't seem his style. Plus they're stupidly over priced." He chuckled, "I know a bit about stones because Paz came to me about getting presents for Mabel. So we're in the same boat, Great Uncle Ford."

Stan smiled, "So what kinds of gems could I get?"

"What comes to your mind?" Dipper asked, "If you want something that looks like a diamond, white topaz looks the same and is cheaper."

Ford crossed his legs and leaned back, "Or you could get sapphires." He paused and tapped his finger to his lips, "Wait, sapphires aren't combustible here, right?"

"No, they're just rocks." Dipper laughed.

Stan hummed, "Is there a light blue gem?"

"Some sapphires are light blue." Dipper offered, "Lapis lazuli is usually dark.... Turquoise. Oh, aquamarine is a good stand-in for blue diamond."

"Okay, I could do one of those. He likes blue." Stan smiled, "The ring itself should be silver or white gold. Actual gold doesn't really look good on him."

William came back with a few jackets and a couple vests, "Here we are, Mister Pines! And I found a tie that I thought would go very well with any of the options." He held it out, showing it to Dipper.

"Sure, I'll try it. Thanks." Dipper took the whole bundle and just set them down to try them on there.

"What about me?" Stan asked.

"Rubies." Ford and Dipper answered in unison.

"What?"

"Stan." Ford put his hand on his brother's shoulder, "What color is your fez?"

"Red."

"What color is your tie?"

"Red."

"What's your favorite color?"

"Okay, okay, I get your point."

Dipper smiled and smoothed down the first vest, pulling a jacket over it, "You should get the same style as him. That way you match." He pulled off his hat and ran his hands through his hair, getting rid of the hat hair as good as he could, "How's this one?"

Stan frowned, "I don't like the jacket cut. It looks like it's swallowing you. The vest is good, though."

William quickly pulled a jacket from the pile, "Try this one instead. It's a structured cut."

Dipper pulled off the jacket he wore and tried the other, buttoning it up, "Better?"

Stan nodded, "Much. Sixer?"

Ford shrugged, "Stanley, I only joined to help you with the ring situation, I know nothing about fashion. You got my Doctor Mystery outfit, remember?"

Stan rolled his eyes, "He'll take this one."

"And the tie?" William asked.

"Oh, right." Dipper took the tie and quickly did it up around his neck in a simple knot, "Yay, nay?" He glanced in the mirror next to him and tucked the tie under his vest.

"Yay." Stan told him, "Just tie it better when you actually go to the party."

"I will, I will." Dipper slipped the tie off and pulled the jacket and vest off, "I'll change out of these real quick." He stepped back into the changing room and pulled his hat back on."

"I'll go put the rest of this back." William gathered the other things together, "I'll see you at the register."

"Thank you for your help." Ford mentioned.

Dipper got his suit, using the money Pacifica had bribed him to find something nice with. They waved goodbye to William, whom they'd left a decently sized tip, and Dipper's phone chimed.

"Hey, perfect timing!" He smiled and pulled it out, "Grandpa Fidds is a size eight. She's dragged him into a clothing store and they're trying on random outfits so we're in the clear for a while." He sent her a thanks and put his phone away, "There's a jeweler just down this way, I saw it on the way in."

The store was a bit more crowded now that it was starting to get later, so it took longer for them to find someone to help them in the jewelers. Eventually, though, a man came to their group.

"Hello, sirs, is there anything I can do for you today?"

Before Stan could answer, Ford grinned, "Yes! My brother here wants to propose and needs a ring!"

Just as Ford had predicted, the man gasped and a wide smile broke over his face, "Oh, wonderful! I'd love to help! Do you know her ring size?"

Dipper cut Stan off this time, " _His_ ring size is eight."

The man seemed to only get more excited knowing it was a man, "Oh, wonderful!"

"We already have an idea as to what we want, but Stan doesn't know his size." Ford added.

"Can I say words?" Stan asked.

"No, let the smart people speak." Dipper patted Stan on the shoulder, "Now, what styles do you have for inlaid gems?"

 

Trying on clothes lasted less time than Mabel anticipated and ended up with her owning more new outfits than she expected. As thanks, she bought Fiddleford a large chocolate milkshake that he happily sucked down as they wandered. Mabel made a point of avoiding the jewelry store Dipper had told her they were going to.

"Mabel, honey."

"Hm?"

"Mabel, stop walking."

She stopped and looked to Fiddleford, confused. He smiled at her and pointed to the store next to him. She glanced over and gasped.

It was a store dedicated to yarn. It was all yarn and yarn related items, and while she had moved on from only knitting sweaters, it remained her favorite hobby.

She immediately grabbed Fiddleford by the hand and dragged him inside, happily looking through everything.

"So many potential sweaters!" She laughed, "Oh, I could make Paz a new llama sweater out of alpaca wool! Or a new get along sweater for Grunkle Stan and Grunkle Ford!" She gasped, "Oh, no! I know what to do! I need blue, red, and gold yarn."

 

When everyone met back up it was late and everyone was exhausted. Dipper had a new suit, Stan had a surprise for Fiddleford, and Mabel had more yarn than she had ideas for.

"We found a yarn store." Fiddleford explained and immediately took Stan's hand, lacing their fingers together, "How was your search for an outfit for Dipper?"

The teen held up his bag, "I have a suit Pacifica should approve of. And if not she can kiss my ass."

"You know, I always though Mabel would be the one with the foul mouth." Ford commented.

"Oh, she's worse than me, I just don't care right now." Dipper shrugged.

"Damn fucking _right_! Now let's get back into my shitty ass van and enjoy our last night here!" Mabel grinned and led the group back to said shitty ass van.


	8. Sea, Popsicle, Refreshing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's time for Stan to propose!
> 
> And obviously everything is going to go according to plan!
> 
> Wait, was there a plan in the first place?

Stan was panicking. He had no idea what he was going to do. It was their last day in Newport, they were leaving that night, and he had no plan for proposing.

"Just do it." Mabel told him, "Just take his hand and ask him."

Dipper pulled a popsicle from the freezer and handed it to Stan, "Seriously, just take him out to the beach. It'll be easier that way. You don't have to worry about everything going right or making sure you have his full attention or anything super romantic. It's just you and him."

"And us, listening in from a respectful distance." Ford added.

Stan sighed and looked at the small velvet box in his hand. He'd been able to get the rings he wanted. They'd both cost very pretty pennies, but if Fiddleford said yes it would be more than worth it.

"Hey, Stanley?" Fiddleford called and Stan shoved the box in his shorts, "Do you want to go onto the beach again? I'll make sure you don't get sunburnt this time."

Stan looked at the expectant faces that stared him down and sighed, "Yeah, I'll be right out!"

They heard the back door slide open and closed.

"Go!" Ford shoved his brother, "Make my best friend my brother-in-law."

"I made new sweaters for you." Mabel told him, "I have replacements for all his Grandpa Fidds sweaters that say Grunkle Fidds instead. I also made a cute matching pair for you with rings on them and it says 'fiancé of Stanley Pines' or 'fiancé of Fiddleford McGucket'." She grinned.

Stan blushed and sighed, "Gimme another popsicle, I'll bring it out to him."

Dipper did so and pulled it away before Stan could grab it, "Don't make those sweaters pointless, Grunkle Stan,"

"I won't, I won't." Stan snatched it and headed out, awkwardly sliding the backdoor open with two popsicles in his hands and headed out to where Fiddleford was sitting. He'd set out towels and was staring out at the water.

"Hey, beautiful." Stan chuckled and held out a popsicle to him.

"Oh, thank you!" Fiddleford happily took the refreshing treat and popped it in his mouth, sighing in relief.

Stan sat down and smiled, sucking on his own treat as they sat in silence; the only sounds that of the water and the birds above. Stan sighed and leaned back a bit to feel the sun on his face, enjoying the warmth.

He was jumped from his peace when Fiddleford shouted, "Oh Lord in Heaven, that's _cold_!"

He looked over and found Fiddleford's whole popsicle had fallen onto his stomach and chuckled. He picked it up and smiled.

"You okay there, babe?"

Fiddleford's face was bright red and he took a breath, "St-Stanley.... What's that?"

Stan followed Fiddleford's gaze and dropped both their popsicles.

The box had fallen out of his pocket.

He hurried to grab it and held it to his chest, "I-it... I.... Fidds, I just- I mean I-" he ran a hand through his hair and looked away, trying to calm himself.

"Stanley.... Is what's in that box.... what I _think_ is in it?" Fiddleford covered his mouth with his hand, not sure exactly what emotions he was feeling, but whatever they were he was definitely feeling them a lot.

Stan hesitated, "I mean, probably?" He looked back at Fiddleford, "I just.... We've been together for a few years, and I certainly ain't sick of you and you haven't grown tired of me yet...." He fiddled with the box and hesitantly opened it, though away from Fiddleford and to himself, "You don't have to.... I just thought it would be a good idea. There's tax benefits. And the kids already call you Grandpa Fidds...." He slowly turned the box towards Fiddleford, "I just figured it would be nicer if they could call you _Grunkle_ Fidds. If you want to stick yourself to me."

Fiddleford grabbed Stan by the face and pulled him in to kiss him straight on the lips, breaking away with a quiet gasp of a laugh, " _Yes_! Yes, yes, of course!" He pulled back and took the two rings from the box, "I'm guessing the big one is yours?"

Stan nodded, grinning wide.

Slowly, Fiddleford slid the bigger ring onto Stan's left ring finger. He handed over the smaller one and let Stan do the same to him, grinning wide.

He laughed and leapt into Stan's arms, hugging him tight and peppering kisses all over his face.

"I _love you_ , Stanley Pines. Of course I'll marry you! I want nothing more!" He pressed his forehead against Stan's.

Stan wrapped his arms around Fiddleford's waist and held him close, "Okay. Okay, good. Because I want to marry you. I want to proclaim my love for you in front of the whole world. But I suppose a group of family and friends is good enough, too."

Fiddleford laughed and kissed Stan again.

And he figured out a word for what he was feeling.

Elation.

 

Ford drove them home, Dipper in the passenger seat with the GPS on his phone guiding them back. The other three were in the back, asleep. Stan and Fiddleford were both bundled up in their new engagement sweaters, while Mabel had pulled on her old, worn, and slightly fraying shooting star sweater that usually served as her pajamas on cold nights.

"This was a good idea, Dipper." Ford smiled, not looking away from the road, "Everyone had a good time."

"I think today was the best though." Dipper yawned, "I can't believe he dropped the box."

"I can." Ford chuckled, "He's always been a goof like that. His plans usually end up going wrong in a way that forces him to improvise. The problem is he's bad at improvising."

Dipper smiled, "Yeah, but I think he did okay. Do you think he realizes Mabel's going to take over their wedding and plan the whole thing herself?"

"Probably not yet. She's probably dreaming about it already." Ford laughed.

 

They came back home to Soos and Melody watching reruns of Ducktective.

"Hey!" Melody smiled and waved at them, "How was the trip?"

Dipper smiled, "Pretty good. I mean, you have a new future father-in-law, so that's good."

Soos jumped up, "Stan proposed?"

"Damn right!" Stan grinned and lifted his hand to show Soos his ring, "You're gonna have _two_ dads now, kid!"

"It's twice the dad I've always dreamed of!"

Melody grinned, "Congratulations! Do you have a date set?"

"Not yet, it kinda just happened," Fiddleford took Dipper's hand to look at his watch, "sixteen hours ago?"

She gasped, "Aw, that's so romantic! Your rings even match, it's so beautiful!"

"Sweetie, you're crying." Ford went over and wiped the tears from her cheeks.

"It just so sweet! I love _love_!" She wrapped her arms around Ford and sobbed.

He smiled and rubbed her back, "Yes, Melody, I know. It's just the hormones, it's okay. I'm here." He chuckled, "Do you want to keep watching your show? Why don't you watch it some more while we bring our stuff inside? Okay?" He slowly pulled himself from her grasp and wiped her tears away again, "Alright, no more crying."

While Ford had been helping Melody through her moment, Soos had run out to Mabel's can and grabbed all he could of their stuff to bring in.

"We had such a good week in the Shack, too. And we got some calls for the electronics shop, too."

Fiddleford grinned, "Wonderful! I'll happily get on those!"

Stan swept Fiddleford up into his arms, "But first, I want to have some alone time with you in our bedroom." He grabbed both their bags and quickly made his way towards their room.

"Oh, gross, old man sex." Mabel snickered as she brought in her many bags of yarn, "Keep it quiet, please!"

"I'm sorry," Stan called back, "Did you say 'scream as loud as possible'?"

"Stanley! No!" Fiddleford chastised.

Unfortunately, Melody started crying again because of the combination of drama in the show and "They're just so in love!"

It was good to be home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks so much for sticking around through this! If I ever get a chance to do a third, it'll probably be Stan and Fiddleford's wedding.


End file.
